Some "Smog Dogs" that can really run with the right stuff....

There's a lot of '70's and '80's cars out there that have a reputation as "Dogs", that actually have a ton of potential. Here's a few "Diamonds in the rough" that could really rock with very little work and expense. # 1. 1971-73 Mustang / Cougar, 1971-74 Torino / Montego.  Almost all of these have 351C power under the hood. The problem is most of them were saddled with 2bbl carburation,single exhaust, and salt-flats gearing like 2.80:1. Edelbrock offers 4bbl intakes that are compatible with 2V heads. The 2V heads are much better for low-end torque than the 4V heads anyway. A 4bbl carb and intake, headers and dual exhaust ( or even just duals behind the stock manifolds ) will make a huge difference in performance. So will a simple axle-ratio swap. Changing the 2.80:1 gears for something in the 3.25:1-3.50:1 range will cut as much as 1/2 a second off your 0-60 and 1/4 mile time without hurting drivability or freeway cruising rpm too much. These simple mods will make your kitten into a tiger.  If you want to get really badass Edelbrock and Trick Flow offer high-performance aluminum heads, and Crane, Lunati, Comp Cams and others offer cams,springs, roller rockers,etc. # 2. 1971-1980 Camaro / Type LT / Berlinetta. There are millions of base-model ( i.e.-non-Z/28 / SS models ) Camaros out there from the '70s. Almost all of them have the workhorse L48 350 small-block in them, that was considered a "dog", mainly because they were saddled with 8:1 compression, a lazy cam, and 2.56:1 or 2.73:1 gearing. The upside is there's more speed equipment for a small-block Chevy than anything else on the planet. Scoggin-Dickey offers complete, brand-new Iron Vortec heads for $650 a pair. Vortec heads breathe better than any other factory head and many aftermarket ones. Their 64cc combustion chambers ( most '70's 350's are 76cc ) will bump compression from 8.2:1 to about 9.5:1. The compression boost, and the increased breathing will easily give you 40-50 more hp. You'll need a Vortec style intake manifold, but you were going to have to replace the stocker anyway-so that's a no-brainer. Edelbrock and Weiand offer performance Vortec-4bbl intakes for about $200. GMPP still sells the L46 / L82 cam-which has 224 duration ( @ .050 ) and .450 / .460 lift. This cam pulls hard to 6,000 rpm and will work with a stock torque converter and power accesories. Headers and dual exhausts will complete the package-and you'll have an honest 375 hp and 400+ lbs of torque with a good idle and great drivability. Swapping the 2.56:1 gears for something in the 3.23:1-3.73:1 range will help you put all that power to the ground. With drag radials or some sticky street tires these simple changes will have you running very low 13s or very high 12s in the 1/4 for very low bucks. # 3. 1971-77 Firebird. T/A's and Formula 400s get all the glory, but the fact is there are hundreds of thousands of base-model and Esprit Firebirds out there with 350 Pontiac motivation. The tune is the same-they were saddled with 2bbl carburation, single exhausts, and salt-flats gearing like 2.56:1. A factory or aftermarket 4bbl carb and intake and headers and /or dual exhausts will make a huge difference in performance. A mild cam upgrade-the Edelbrock Performer grind works great in a low-compression Pontiac and will really "wake up" a 350. The factory "068" cam works nicely too. Swap the 2.56:1 gears for some 3.23:1-3.42:1s and people who drove or rode in the car before will ask you if you swapped in a 400 or 455!!  The improvement will be that immense. # 4. 1977-79 Firebird Formula / Trans-Am. A lot of these cars had 403 Olds motivation. They got a bad rap. The L78 400 / 4-speed "real" Pontiac models that the buff magazines worshipped also had 3.23:1 or 3.42:1 gears. The L80 403 models had TH350's and 2.41:1 gears!!  Think that'll make a difference in acceleration?  I had a 403 powered Trans-Am that really rocked with a few simple mods. An Edelbrock Performer intake and headers and dual exhausts will really wake up some ponies. You'll have to re-jet the carb to compensate for the increased breathing-I'd start by going .003 richer on the primary jets and the secondary metering rods and go from there. Edelbrock and Summit sell Q-jet parts and accessories. The other thing is change the plugs. They come with R46SZ AC plugs which have an .080 gap. Even GM's mighty HEI can't bridge that at high rpm. My T/A had headers and a Holley Street Dominator single-plane intake and it would not rev past 4,700 rpm. Simply switching to R45S plugs ( one range colder and a .040 gap ) caused it to pull hard to 5,400 rpm!! A gain of 700 rpm on the top end. Switch the 2.41:1 gears for some 3.23:1-3.42:1s and hang on!  # 5. 1982-87 Camaro / Firebird. The L69 / LB9 / L98 Z/28's, IROC-Z's and Formula and T/A models are sought after, but the fact is there are millions of base-model Camaros and Firebirds of this vintage out there that have the ubiquitous LG4 305 Chevy V8 that wheezed out about 165 hp. Most people's first instinct is to simply swap in a stompin' 350 or 383. You can certainly do that-it's a bolt-in swap-but many people don't have the money or the ability to do an engine swap. And some may not want a huge power infusion, but would like a little more oomph-just enough to not have to take crap from little boys in Honda Civics and soccer moms in Hemi Cherokees. For those I've got just the ticket. An Edelbrock Performer intake and matching cam will give you a huge boost in power and torque all through the range. Some shorty headers and a cat-back exhaust will really help. 5-speed models usually had 3.23:1-3.73:1 gears which is perfect. Automatics had 2.73:1s which isn't. Swap to some 3.42:1s. The other thing for automatics is they tend to stick in 2nd and 3rd gear under hard acceleration. B&M and TransGo offer kits ( it's usually a valve-body plate and some governor springs ) that will allow automatic kickdown to low gear at speeds less than 15 mph and full-throttle upshifts, especially from 2nd to 3rd to 4th. These simple changes will allow you to show your taillights to those smug '80's and '90's "5.0" Mustang owners. So if you have or want to buy one of the cars on this list-you now know you can put some hair on it's chest pretty easily and cheaply. Mastermind       

Sports-car guys and Motorcycle guys are smarter and more tolerant.....

There's always been a lot of heated debate in magazines and on websites including this one about "Restification" -i.e. Restoration / Modification of Musclecars. I've said many times I'm fine with something aftermarket if it's period correct. 14 or 15 inch American Racing Torq-Thrusts or Cragar S/S mags look great on a '65 GTO or a '68 Road Runner. 20 inch Center Lines-yuck. Ditto for mechanical mods-a '68 Mustang with a 600 Holley sitting on top of a "Torker 289" intake is just fine in my book. A '68 Mustang with a fuel-injected "5.0" out of a '92 model-not cool. Anyhow I've been doing research at sports-car shows and motorcycle shows and vintage racing events and I've found that sports-car enthusiasts and motorcycle enthusiasts are far more reasonable on this subject. Almost every single restored Datsun 240Z I see has dual or triple Weber carbs in place of those awful SUs they came with. The Webers make more power, get better gas mileage, and hold a tune much longer. Ditto for British sports cars. Practially every MGB, Triumph Spitfire, or Austin-Healey Sprite I see has a Weber carb(s) on it and a Vertex magneto or an aftermarket distributor. The reason is the Webers offer much more performance, reliability, and tunability than the SUs or Zenith-Strombergs that they came with. And anyone who's ever been around British cars-Lucas-the prince of darkness-is a running joke. Their distributors, and light switches, etc were AWFUL. Another running joke is the reason the British drink warm beer is because of Lucas refrigerators!!  The same with Motorcycle enthusiasts. Doesn't matter if it's a '47 Knucklehead or a 2017 Softail-you almost never see a Harley that's bone-stock. They've always got different exhausts, different wheels, different handlebars,air cleaners, seats, gas tanks,forks, whatever. And it's not just Harleys. The British bikes-Triumphs and BSAs-their ignitions were terrible. My dad had a BSA Victor 441 and a 650 Triumph Bonneville and it was always a crapshoot on whether or not they would start. Until he put Joe Hunt Magnetos on both of them and then they'd start every time! It's rare to see a running vintage British motorcycle today without a magneto!  And again-you see 500cc BSA thumpers and 650 Triumph engines in Rickman Matisse frames that look like dirt-track racers, you see them made into choppers-all the things guys did when they were just bikes-nothing special. Ditto for the Japanese bikes. I can't recall the last time I saw a '70's Kawasaki KZ1000 or GS750 Suzuki or CB750 Honda without a Kerker header on it!!  But the mods are always period correct. You don't see a 1970 240Z with the engine and 7-speed automatic out a 2011 370Z!!  You don't see a 1967 Jaguar XKE with the powertrain out of a 2005 XK8!!  You don't see a 1973 Kawasaki Z1 with the engine out of a ZX14 Ninja!!  And yes, you see some pristine, restored, bone-stock bikes and sports-cars at these shows as well, but their owners don't deride or make fun of the modified ones or say that they've "Butchered" or "Ruined" a classic. Unlike the stink-eyes you get at a musclecar show-n-shine if your '70 Chevelle has headers and a HEI distributor on it!  Anyhow-I think we should take a cue from the sports-car and motorcycle crowds and all stick together to protect our hobby from the EPA and the safety nazis and the smog nazis and all the other groups that want to crush any vehicle made before 1990!!  Mastermind        

"Day Two" options add value as well.....

In the last post I talked about how adding a Tri-Power setup to a '60s GTO or a Six-Pack setup to a Mopar would add to a cars value, not hurt it. We also discussed how changing from Rally II wheels to Snowflakes won't change the value of your '70's T/A and so forth. When I was young all my friends drove musclecars and not one of them was bone-stock. They all had aftermarket wheels, Hurst or B&M shfiters,a Sun Tach on the steering column, headers, traction bars, etc.  As gearheads we were always looking for ways to increase the car's performance or it's "Cool" factor. And that hasn't changed over the years. If you bought a new Mustang or Challenger or Camaro right now, would you leave it bone-stock for the next 20 years?  No-chances are you'd add a K&N air filter, a Flowmaster Cat-Back exhaust system, a Hurst shifter, and maybe some aftermarket wheels. More adventurous sorts might even add an Edelbrock or Magnussen blower. And once it was out of warranty-if it blew a radiator hose on a Friday night-would you park the car and wait until Monday and go to the dealer to get a genuine Ford or GM or Chrysler hose, or would you go to Autozone and get a Gates or Dayco replacement and be able to drive the car all weekend?  I saw a couple of great examples this past weekend. One was a '67 Camaro that had a warmed-over 327 and a 4-speed. It had headers on it and a Holley 650 Double-Pumper on an Edelbrock intake. The owner told me it also had a Comp Cams solid-lifter cam. The interior was clean and stock, except for two things to snap you right back into a banzai mode: a huge Auto Meter tach on the steering column and a T-handled Hurst Compettion Plus shifter protruding from the console. It also had Competition Engineering traction bars. This was exactly the kind of hot rod that millions of people had in the '70's and '80's and that magazines used to feature. Stuff the average guy could build in his driveway not the megabuck one-off stuff they feature now. The other one was a '68 Dodge Coronet R/T. It had a 440 with headers on it and a two 625 cfm Carter AFBs on an Edelbrock dual-quad intake. It had a 4-speed and the owner had installed a "Pistol Grip" Hurst shifter. It had Lakewood traction bars on it and Cragar S/S mags with skinny front tires and big meats on the rear. The owner said at full-throttle the intake roar of the AFBs was louder than the exhaust, that it sounded sweeter than the "Bullitt" or "Vanishing Point" soundtrack. I believe him-my Judge had two AFBs on an Offenhsuser intake and that sound is awesome. Both these guys had nailed the quintessential '70's street machine-a car that looks and performs better way than stock, but can still be driven to work every day. Now some people are going to rail that these guys "ruined" these cars with their modifications. How did they "ruin" anything?  1st off-the cars were a 327 Camaro and a two-door Dodge Coronet that originally had a 383 in it. One of many thousands.  Not one of the 602 '67 Z/28s ever built or a Hemi Super Bee. And even if it was one of those, what did they do that's irreversible damage?  Headers and an aftermarket intake are easy mods that almost everyone did to their cars in the '70's and '80's. If someone wanted it stock, it wouldn't take much to put stock intake and exhaust manifolds back on. Traction bars bolt onto leaf springs and can be easily unbolted. You think an aftermarket tach hose-clamped to the steering column is ugly? Unscrew it. It's not like they took a Judge convertible or a Boss 302 and cut up the trunk for wheel tubs and 4-link rear, and cut up the hood to clear a tunnel ram because they wanted a "Pro Street" look!!  I've said it before and I'll say it again here- '69 Z/28 Camaro with a LS3 / 4L80E powertrain, rack and pinion steering, and 20 inch Center Lines is an aberration and it's owner / builder should be dragged out into the street and shot. A '69 Z/28 with a 750 Holley Double Pumper on an Edelbrock Tarantula manifold and headers on the 302, with traction bars and 15 inch Cragar S/S mags is just as "Right" now as it was in 1971. I have no problem with modifications as long as their period correct. Like I've said before-if you were a gun collector you wouldn't buy a WWII vintage Colt .45 and put laser sights on it!  If it you were a motorcycle enthusiast you wouldn't buy a 1965 650 Triumph Bonneville and put the fuel-injected 1200cc engine out of a 2016 model in it!!  So next time your at a "Show&Shine" and you see a Firebird with a Hurst Dual / Gate shifter protruding from the console or a 'Vette with chrome sidepipes on it, smile instead of screwing up your face like you just smelled a rank beer fart. Mastermind      

Options add value, they don't hurt it!! Even if the option isn't "Orignal!!"...

Went to some car shows the past couple weekends and had some interesting conversations. The one that got under my skin was with a guy who had a nice 1969 Plymouth GTX. It was a 440 / 4bbl / Torqueflite model ( The standard GTX powertrain; a 4 speed was an option, as was the 440 / Six-Pack and the Hemi ). It was a nicely restored car. While we were talking he said he loved the car but he wished it was a Six-Pack model with front disc brakes. ( The car had 4-wheel drums. ) Those are both options that are easy enough to add. Summitt and Mopar Performance carry the Edelbrock manifold, the Holley carbs and the linkage and air cleaner. CPP and many other companies offer front disc brake conversion kits for Mopar B-bodies. When I pointed this fact out he responded with words I always dread. "But then it wouldn't be original."  Ugh. I said-"Unless your competing in Concours shows that doesn't matter." " And even some Concours organizations are allowing parts to be the "Original Type". "In other words-a 1969 Z/ 28 can have a 3310 Holley carb on it that you bought at Summitt or Jeg's last week." "You won't lose points if it doesn't have 1969 date codes on it." "They don't expect a car to have a working 48 year old carburator." "And a lot of events like the Pure Stock drag races and some Concours shows are allowing changes that were optional on that model, that year." "Like putting Tri-Power on a '66 GTO or a Six-Pack setup on a car like yours." "The guy that won the Pure Stock drags last year had an L88 Corvette that ran a blistering 11.43." "But it wasn't an original L88 car. It was a 390 hp model, and the engine was built to L88 specs-heads,cam, compression ratio,carb and intake, etc." These show orgainizations are acknowledging that upgrades add to a car's value, rather than diminish it."  He shook his head and muttered those words again. He was fully entrenched in the "Just as it left the factory" brainwash that some pipe-smoking, tweed cap wearing British sports car snob / enthusiast who got into musclecars in the late '80's started. And the effects are still lingering. Like I pointed out to a Boss 302 owner one time-his "Autolite" battery is an Exide battery in a repro case. His Firestone Wide Oval tires are Coker tire repros as well. Will he really lose points or the car be worth less if it has a Fram Oil filter on it instead of a phony Autolite one? ( Genuine Ford Parts have been called "Motorcraft" for 30+ years; the "Autolite" moniker was dropped in the late '70's and sold. That's why you can go to Autozone and buy Autolite spark plugs and wires ). I thought it was sad that this guy wouldn't spend a couple thousand dollars and a few hours labor to make his car exactly the way he wanted it, because some other asshole-who probably can't afford to buy the car if it was for sale-might say something negative!!  Get over yourselves, people!!!  I've said it before, but I'll say it again, because it's true. Adding upgrades, add value. Do you really think if you put a Tri-Power setup and throw a Muncie 4-speed into a '65 GTO that was originally a 389 4bbl / 3-speed car-that a prospective buyer is going to contact Pontiac historical services and get the original window sticker, and then say to you- "I always wanted a red '65 GTO with a black vinyl top and Tri-Power and a 4-speed, and this one is beautiful and runs like a scalded cat." "And the price your asking is eminently reasonable." "But PHS says it was originally green with a 4bbl and a 3-speed." "I'm going to have to pass."  Never in a million years would anyone be that stupid, and if they are, then they deserve to never find a car!!!  Trust me, you'd find someone who would overlook these small changes!!  If you have a '68 Road Runner for sale that has a Hemi in it-do you really think someone buying it is going to read the vin tag and go-" I always wanted a Hemi Road Runner, but this was originally a 383 car." "Damn!" Not going to happen. You laugh because it's funny, but you also laugh because you know it's true. The other sad thing is-I used induction systems and engines and transmissions to drive home the point-but I've heard this shit about absolutely trivial options. Like the guy with a '71 Trans-Am who wanted Honeycomb wheels but wouldn't buy them because the car originally had Rally II's!! Or the guy who really liked the rear window lovers or "Sport Slats" on Mustangs but wouldn't buy a set for his Mach 1 because the Marti report said his didn't come with them from the factory. Ditto for the dumb-ass with a beautiful '68 Firebird who wouldn't put a hood tach on it,because it wouldn't be "Original". My personal favorite was the guy who had a 403 Olds / TH350 1979 Trans-Am that needed a paint job and pointed to a centerfold of a DKM "Macho T/A" in High-Performance Pontiac magazine and said "I love the look of that car." "I'd love to have one of those". "When I said that Dennis Mecham had given his permission to Phoenix Graphics to reproduce the stencils for anyone who wanted to restore a "Macho" or just liked the look, that he could certainly paint his car that way if he wanted to-He looked at me like he'd smelled a rank fart and sneered-"But then it won't be original" When I pointed out that the Real "Macho T/A's" were modified by the Mecham brothers at Mecham Pontiac and then sold to other dealers as used cars-that GM never authorized the package, and wouldn't grant DKM an MSO-a manufacturer's certificate of originality-like they did for George Hurst and the Hurst / Olds-which is why "Machos" weren't allowed to be sold in Colorado and a few other states. If you wanted to verify a "Macho" Pontiac Historical Services couldn't help, you'd have to have to contact Dennis Mecham and see if the car in question was in his records. I jokingly said that I seriously doubted that Dennis Mecham would sue him if he bought the stencils from Phoenix Graphics and put a Macho paint scheme on his car. "Doesn't matter! I'm not going to ruin the value of MY car!". he yelled. I didn't have the heart to tell him that except for the ill-fated '80-81 Turbo 301 models, a 403 powered '79 model is  the LEAST valuable of all second generation T/A's!!! He couldn't lessen it's value if he painted it pink and purple!!  So if you want to add or remove a vinyl top, or add or remove rally stripes or want snowflake wheels instead of Rally II's on your car-then go ahead and do it. And even if it's not a same-year factory option-a '69 SS396 Chevelle is not "ruined" because it has headers on it and a 750 Holly on a Torker intake and Cragar mags and BFG T/A Radials on it instead of Magnum 500's and Coker Wide Ovals!! For God's sake people, build your damn car the way YOU want it, not the way you think you think some other asshole would want it, if or when you ever sell it!!  Mastermind

Beware of what you want....Because you might get it....

The old proverb in the title really applies to buying and owning a classic musclecar. I talk to so many people who spend major bucks on a classic car and then are disappointed in it's performance and drivability. There are several causes of this, and most can avoided with some forethought. # 1. Realize that anything built before 1960 is going to be primitive and bare bones, and seem slugginsh compared to later cars. For example- you may think a '57 T-Bird is a cool ride,-hey Dan Tanna drove one in "Vegas" and they've been featured in countless other movies and T.V. shows. A '62 T-Bird is light years ahead in performance, comfort and handling. The '62 model will have the torquey 390 V8 that was used in millions of cars and trucks through 1976, which has way more power, and gets better gas mileage than the boat anchor 292 / 312 inch Y-Blocks. They will have power steering and brakes, and better handling and riding suspension and factory A/ C and power windows, etc. In just 5 years of development. This is not an isolated example. I had a friend who bought a '55 Pontiac and hated it. It had no power steering, no power brakes, the 287 inch V8 was underpowered in the heavy car and he said driving it was like driving a big dump truck. He sold it and on my recommendation bought a '63 Gran Prix. He loved it. The interior was luxurious, it handled like a dream, especially on the highway and the 389 V8 would literally spin it's tires as long as he wanted to stay on the throttle. Things improved exponentially through the later '60's. Chrysler found a huge increase in performance and drivability not in the engine but with the transmission when they introduced the Torqueflite automatic in 1962. GM replaced the horrible old "Slim Jim" hydromatics with the excellent TH400 in 1965. By 1965 front disc brakes were optional on some cars, ( Corvettes had 4-wheel discs ) and by 1967 were standard, or at least optional on almost everything. I'm not saying don't buy a '55 Buick Roadmaster or a '57 Chevy or a '50 Merc coupe or whatever your dream car is-I'm just saying-realize that the 60+ year old technology is not going to be up to things just a few years later. The aforementioned '55 Buick doesn't even have a modern, open driveline-it has the old "Torque Tube" and a huge pumpkin at the rear., The Kingpin front suspension rides and handles like an old dump truck-like the old Pontiac owner said.  My buddy's '63 Riviera is an awesome car to this day. Besides the cool, hidden headlight styling, the 401 V8 has way more power than the old 322, the ball-joint / control arm suspension is light-years ahead in ride and handling quality, the power steering and brakes feel like a modern car, and it has factory a/c, power windows, tilt wheel, etc. My buddy says-he likes it because it has Cadillac like luxury and GTO like performance. In just 8 years. If it's a show car- that's only going to be driven on and off the trailer, then do whatever you want. But if you plan to drive the car at all-you may be much happier in a '65 Impala than you will be in a '58!!  # 2. The "Biggest and Baddest" isn't for everyone. I mentioned an older gentleman who had bought a 435 hp, 11:1 compression, solid-lifter, 4-speed, 4.11:1 geared 1969 427 Stingray. And hated it. It pinged even on premium gas,got 5-8 mpg, the clutch was stiff, his wife burned her legs on the sidepipes everytime she got in or out of it, and the motor buzzing at 3,500 rpm on the freeway was annoying. Since it was a premium model he was able to recoup his investment when he sold it, and is much happier in the low-compression, L82 350 / TH350 Silver Anniversary 1978 model that he bought. He and his wife love taking it on weekend trips to Lake Tahoe or the wine country with the t-tops out, or if it's too hot, with the t-tops in and the A/C blasting. The seats are comfortable, the engine idles smoothly on 87 octane pump gas, and the suspension doesn't rattle your fillings loose. It looks cool, and it's fast enough to back up the image-he doesn't have to take crap from little boys in Honda Civics or soccer moms in Hemi Cherokees. He's much happier now. Again-this is not an isolated example. If your a Mopar guy-you may be much happier in a 3.23:1 geared, 440 / Torqueflite GTX with power steering, front disc brakes, bucket seats, and factory A/C than you would be in a stripped-down, manual steering, drum braked, 4-speed Hemi Road Runner with 4.30:1 gears!!  Everyone loves a Boss 302. They are undenaibly badass. But they have very little torque below 3,000 rpm and there's a reason they were only available with a 4-speed and 3.90:1 or 4.30:1 gears!! If your going to drive the car at all-you might be better off with one of the 70,000 other '69 Mach 1s that are 351W powered. It's a much better street engine, with gobs of low-end torque, and will be much more pleasant in city traffic than the 11;1, solid-lifter, fire-breathing "Boss". I mentioned this in another earlier post. Edelbrocks "Performer" Package for Pontiacs made 387 hp and 439 lbs of torque on a 400, and had 15 inches of vacuum at idle. The "Performer RPM" package-( which has a cam that's an exact replica of the factory RAIV ) makes 422 hp and 441 lbs of torque and only has 10 inches of vacuum at idle. That's a gain of 35 hp and only 2 lbs of torque. Your giving up a lot of idle quality and low-end and mid-range torque for top-end rush. There's a reason RAIV's were only available with 3.90:1 or 4.33:1 gears! On street tires, in the real world, all other things being equal-is a car with 422 hp going to be noticably faster than one with 387 hp? Probably not. Like I said, your giving up a lot of good drivability for a little top-end gain. If all your doing is drag-racing it, then 2 or 3 tenths in the 1/4 mile might be worth the compromise to you. But again-if your going to drive the car at all-the one with slightly less power and a much smoother idle and broader torque curve will work better 99% of the time!  If you just "Gotta Have" a Hemi ' Cuda, or an LS6 Chevelle, an L88 'Vette, or a Boss 429, or 427 Fairlane or an RAIV Judge, etc-and can afford it, more power to you. But for 95% of the rest of us-you may be happier with  less than the biggest and baddest model.  Which brings up # 3. Be honest about what you really want. I've said it before, but it's worth re-iterating here. If you live where it gets very hot in the summer-it might behoove you to get a car with factory A / C. If you live in a big city like San Francisco or Los Angeles with a lot of stop-n-go traffic, an automatic transmission might be a better choice than a 4-speed. If you live in the country 30 miles from the nearest town-a car with 3.23:1 gears is going to be a lot more pleasant on the highway than one with 4.10:1s!!  If you follow these simple guidelines, you'll be a lot happier with your investment in the long run. Mastermind